Star Wars: The Lost Colony
by scriptdragonslayer
Summary: Two unusual Jedi face a looming threat... Set pre-Episode I. Mostly OCs, does not interfere with canon as far as I know. Mostly just a proof-of-concept, but I might write more if my muse decides to bless me with inspiration.


**AN: So, this was intended for Star Wars Day, but it's a little late. Sorry for ATFT fans, but I've been bouncing this around for a while, and I needed to get it out of my head. It's set pre-Episode I, with entirely OCs, except for the Jedi Council. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. Unfortunately.**

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**Star Wars: The Lost Colony**

**Chapter One**

I regulated my breaths short and even, to match the rhythm of my running footsteps. The gang of burly Trandoshans was right on my heels, shouting obscenities in Dosh. I tapped the comlink in my ear. "Ari! Any time now would be great!" I yelled. Blaster fire sounded from behind me, and I wove as much as I could in the narrow alley. "These Trandos are _not_ happy that I stole their files!"

Ari's frustratingly calm voice spoke in my ear. "You have less than a klick to go 'til you reach the rendezvous point. I'm waiting there with the _Pride_'s engines warmed up."

"Fine," I bit off. More blaster fire rang out behind me. _I have to get out of this death trap of an alley_, I thought. I jumped up, pushed off both walls, and landed, running, on the roof. After a deep breath, I sped up, and soon the Trandoshans' cries faded in the distance. When I arrived at the spaceport, a burly Duro blocked my path.

"Hey, no passage until the fee is paid. Fifty credits."

I waved my hand in front of his face. "I already paid. You will let me through."

His eyes glazed over as he said, "You already paid. I'll let you through."

I smiled. Then I heard a blaster go off behind me, and I quickly entered Mos Eisley Spaceport. As I made my way through the bustling crowd, my holocom beeped. When I got to an alcove, I slipped into it and displayed the message. What I saw sent a chill down my spine.

_Docking Bay 94. YT-1300fp. Designation: _Ari's Pride_. _

I sprinted the whole way back, hoping that I was in time. I pressed the remote access button attached to my belt, and ran up the still-extending ramp. I came to a screeching halt when a black and green armored figure pointed a slugthrower at my chest. I peered at him for a moment, then laughed. "Tracyn, you almost scared me. You do have a slugthrower, though. Last time, you just had a blaster." I smirked.

"Zerek, you _di'kut_. For all you know, I could be collecting a bounty on your miserable head," he said.

"Come on. We both know that if you were doing that, you'd have shot me by now." I pushed the weapon aside, and slapped the ramp-close button as I passed him on the way to the bridge.

"Glad to see you back in one piece. Those Trandos were pretty close to catching up to you. At least you had a good idea, jumping up on the rooftop like that. They probably would have hit you otherwise," my pilot and best friend Ari said.

"Eh. So, when are we cleared for takeoff? Our armored friend probably needs to clear out, take care of more business."

Behind me, Tracyn cleared his throat. "Actually, _you_ are my target." I turned around and gave him a quizzical look. He raised his hands. "Not to kill you, just to give you a message and bring you somewhere."

Ari tossed her tentacles back over her shoulder. "Who are you working for, and what are the coordinates?"

I couldn't read the bounty hunter's expression beneath his opaque helmet. "Both answers are very simple, but I don't think you'll like it. The coordinates are easy. Zero zero zero. As for my employer…" He laced his gloved fingers behind his helmet. "The Council sent me to find you."

My gaze, which had been wandering, snapped to him. "Let me get this straight. I'm supposed to believe that the _Jedi Council_ just up and hired a bounty hunter, a _Mandalorian_, no less, to find _me_?" I crossed my arms. "We don't have much to do with one another these days. They mainly let me exercise my own judgment on what to do."

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger! They offered me a large- no, I'm not telling you how much- amount of credits if I would just come find you. Apparently they thought that it would be easier for someone already familiar with your habits to track you down." Tracyn leaned against the archway at the entrance to the bridge. "And, I must say, it looks like they were right."

"Hang on, boys. We just got clearance to take off. Tracyn told me earlier that the Council said that this thing was urgent, so it might get a little bumpy," Ari called back, adjusting controls.

I strapped in to the copilot's chair, and busied myself checking readouts and displays. When the checklist was completed, I stared out the front viewport, thinking.

"Hey! Hey, space-brain!" Ari called.

"Hm? What is it?" I asked, coming out of my reverie.

She snorted. "I asked you three times. You hungry?"

Just then, my stomach growled. "Guess that answers that question. Come on, we're going to be in hyperspace for a while yet. Let's get something in you. You probably burned quite a bit of energy, running like you did," Ari said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the bridge.

"Hey, where's bucket-head?" I asked.

"I gave him the last cabin. He's in there, organizing his stuff."

Once we reached the mess, I pulled away from her, and headed to the cryobox. "Ah, good. We still have that leftover jomba stew. My favorite." I turned to Ari, and extended the container to her. "Hungry?"

She shook her head. "Eat all you want, hornhead. I ate just before you got back." We sat in silence for a moment while I ate enthusiastically. "I really don't see how you can actually enjoy that stuff. I mean, you're a Zabrak and all, you love spicy food, but that… Jomba stew takes it to a whole new level."

I looked at her, mouth full of stew, then I swallowed. "I don't see why species has to play any part in this. I've met plenty of Nautolans who love spicy food. You don't. It just varies from person to person. Everyone's tastes are different; it's just a matter of personal preference."

She looked at me disbelievingly, and brushed back a couple of unbound tentacles. "Whatever. At least you don't make me eat that stuff. It's probably eat a hole in my stomach." She hesitated for a moment, and then said, "All right. Tracyn's coming back. I think he wants to tell us a bit more about his little 'job' than he let on earlier."

Sure enough, the Mandalorian walked into the mess, doors hissing closed behind him. "What're you eating? Smells good."

I put down my spoon. "Jomba stew. I'm done with it. You want the rest?" I asked.

"Sure." He plopped down on the bench, next to me, and took off his helmet. He ran his fingers through his newly-revealed red hair to smooth it out. "Thanks." He accepted the bowl from me, and dug in with a will. "_Shab_ that's good. Not as good as home-cooked Mando cuisine, but good nonetheless." He closed his eyes in apparent appreciation.

Suddenly, a beeping rang out through the ship. Ari jumped up. "That's the five-minute hyperspace reminder. Excuse me, but I have to go make sure we don't crash into some other ship and die. That would be disappointing." She disappeared, leaving me alone with the still-ravenous bounty hunter.

"I should probably go too. There's another container in the cryobox if you're still hungry." I tossed at him as I followed after Ari. Just as I sat down in to copilot's chair, the blue streaks of hyperspace gave way to a view of a shining planet, swarmed by millions of fly-like ships, through the transparisteel in front of me. I smiled. No matter how many times I saw Coruscant, I would never lose the sense of wonder as I approached the planet.

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**AN: No, the _Pride_ is not supposed to be the _Millenium Falcon_. **

**Dosh- the Trandoshan language.**

**Tracyn- trah-_sheen_. Madalorian for "fire."**

**Zerek- Last letter of Aurebesh. Corresponds to "Z."**

**di'kut- DEE-koot. Mandalorian for "idiot."**

**Shab- Mandalorian impolite emphatic modifier.**

**I will put all words not in Basic (English) in italics.**


End file.
